InternOKC Program Helps Recruit And Retain Young Professionals

OKLAHOMA CITY - Ten years ago the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce saw a problem, that Oklahoma's most talented students took jobs out of state after graduation. So, the chamber started InternOKC, a program designed to entice them to stay.

"In communications they tell you some of the best agencies are in New York or they're in Chicago," said Madison Bryan, a Digital Strategist at Saxum.

Bryan is from Choctaw and soon found out she didn't have to leave home for a better job opportunity.

"It was really eye opening to see what was already in Oklahoma," said Bryan.

Through InternOKC, she made the connections that eventually landed her a job at Saxum, a marketing agency in Oklahoma City.

"We do really great work here too, we don't have to go to some big city to make a difference," she said.

Each summer, hundreds of interns meet downtown to begin the leadership program, this year it starts with a kickoff celebration inside the Chevy Bricktown Events Center.

"Whether it's college students or millennials, they can go anywhere they want, so for a company to find somebody that's going to fit their culture, do the work that they need to do, they need to create that relationship even earlier than they have in the past," said Drew Dugan with the OKC Chamber.